THEATER REVIEW:Rollicking revival of ‘Sweet Charity’

Molly Ringwald made her debut into the world just two years after “Sweet Charity” hit the Broadway stage 40 years ago, and both are aging not only gracefully but gloriously.

Ringwald is the latest actress to don the abbreviated red costume of dance hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine and she’s kicking up a storm with it at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The show itself has an impressive pedigree — created by Bob Fosse with music by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields with a book by Neil Simon. What stood out in the ‘60s was the electric choreography of Fosse, a volatile style that informs the equally impressive work of Wayne Cilento in the current incarnation.

Some musicals are products of their time, and “Sweet Charity” is definitely locked into the 1960s. No program note establishes the period, but one actor lets it slip that it’s 1966 early in the show, and it could hardly be otherwise.

Director Scott Faris has assembled some crackerjack dancers to back up Ringwald and her acting partners, and quite often the high-kicking, sizzling choreography rules the night. One extended ensemble number, “Rich Man’s Frug,” is especially joyous, if a bit lengthy, while the pulsating “Rhythm of Life” segment will set your toes tapping gleefully.

Ringwald, the 1980s pop princess of all those John Hughes movies, beautifully enacts the title role of a winsome taxi dancer habitually unlucky in love but eternally optimistic that the next guy will be “the one.” Her exuberance propels the show and her effervescence effectively neutralizes the ennui produced by a few overlong sequences, such as those in an Italian movie star’s apartment or a stuck-between-floors elevator.

The latter segment is boosted enormously by the actor she’s trapped with, Guy Adkins, as a claustrophobic, jittery type who climbs spider-like all over the elevator car. Adkins neatly underplays his idealistic character in his second-act romance with the equally vulnerable Charity.

Amanda Watkins and Kisha Howard as Charity’s two best friends at the dance hall, are both terrific and they provide some sugar and spice for numbers such as “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” and “Baby, Dream Your Dream.”

Steve Wilson excels as Italian screen idol Vittorio Vidal, while Angel Reda is a hoot as his tempestuous flame Ursula. David Glaspie’s heavily Afro-ed Daddy Brubeck and Richard Ruiz’s loud-mouthed club manager are equally effective, while Tonya Wathen grabs the spotlight briefly as a well-constructed club newcomer.

Few musicals rise or fall on the charisma of their star more than “Sweet Charity,” and with Ringwald this production overflows with pizazz.

Armed with a top hat and cane, she struts her stuff beautifully in the number “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and touches the heart with her more subdued solo “Where Am I Going?”

Add Ringwald’s comedic charm to the choreographic thunder and lightning of “Sweet Charity” and you’ve got a terrific throwback to the ‘60s.